Where Our Trail Data Comes From

South Shore Trails is a community-built guide, but almost none of the land in it is ours to describe alone. Every trail listing on this site draws on the published work of the towns, land trusts, and conservation organizations that actually protect and maintain these places. This page is our thank-you — and our sourcing policy — in one.

Land trusts and conservation organizations

A huge share of the properties listed here are protected or managed by regional organizations, and their websites, trail maps, and property guides are the backbone of our trail data. In particular: the North and South Rivers Watershed Association (NSRWA), whose trail and water-access resources cover much of the region; the Wildlands Trust; The Trustees of Reservations; Mass Audubon; and the Hingham Land Conservation Trust. If a trail page describes a property one of these groups manages, the underlying details almost certainly started with their published materials. We’ve also written our own profiles of several: meet the NSRWA, Wildlands Trust, The Trustees, and Mass Audubon on our South Shore Nature Organizations pages.

Town conservation departments

The conservation commissions and open space committees of the 27 towns we cover publish the property lists, trail maps, parking details, and regulations that make a directory like this possible. Many towns also maintain excellent GIS and interactive trail maps — Norwell’s is a standout — that we link to from individual trail pages. Where a trail page links to a “town hub,” that link goes to the town’s own conservation pages, and the credit belongs there.

Trail maps

The trail maps you’ll find on our trail pages are the official PDFs produced by the town or organization that manages each property. We deliberately link to the official map rather than redrawing our own — the people who blaze and maintain the trails make the most accurate maps, and they should get the traffic.

Our own boots on the ground

Trail descriptions, honest notes on parking and conditions, and the photos on this site come from our own visits since 2017, cross-checked against community resources like AllTrails and the experiences of fellow South Shore hikers. When we haven’t walked a property recently, we say so — and we stick to what the managing organization has published.

Support the people doing the real work

This site catalogs trails; these organizations create and defend them. If South Shore Trails has helped you find a new favorite walk, consider joining, donating to, or volunteering with the NSRWA, Wildlands Trust, The Trustees, Mass Audubon, your town’s conservation commission, or your local land trust.

Corrections and credit

If we’ve gotten a detail wrong, used something without proper credit, or missed an organization that deserves mention here, please contact us and we’ll fix it promptly.